A yet-to-be-identified man reportedly died on Saturday while allegedly attempting to steal the revered statue of the Agemo deity at Mafowoku Roundabout, along Folagbade Road in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.
Residents of the ancient town awoke to a shocking scene: the golden statue of Agemo, which had stood at the roundabout for over two decades, had been forcefully removed, and a young man believed to be behind the act was found lifeless beside its remains.
A viral video making the rounds on social media showed the lifeless man dressed in a blue top, lying motionless near the fallen figure of the deity.
Confirming the incident, a local resident, Hakeem Quadri, told our correspondent, “The incident is real; it happened right in front of my house. We all heard people making noise, and when I got outside, I saw that the Agemo statue that was commissioned about 21 years ago had been removed, while the person suspected to have been behind this sacrilegious act had been struck dead.”
Quadri added that the man’s body was later taken away to a mortuary by authorities.
The circumstances surrounding the man’s death remain unclear, sparking a mix of fear, religious interpretation, and speculation among locals. While some residents view the incident as a supernatural consequence of desecrating a sacred object, others are calling for a thorough investigation by law enforcement to determine the exact cause of death.
As of press time, police are yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
